Story-March-26-17

Lawrence: Trump presidency effectively over after repeal failure

Donald Trump’s strong-arm ultimatum did not persuade House Republicans as Paul Ryan admits “Obamacare is the law of the land.” Ezra Klein, Editor-in-Chief of Vox.com, and The Daily Beast’s Rick Wilson join Lawrence O’Donnell.

Lost ‘Mr. Rogers’ Episodes Mysteriously Resurface — And Might Be a Message to Trump

After Trump called for axing PBS to build up the military, Cold War-era episodes about exactly that went live on YouTube. Who found them?

Thirty-four years ago, on five consecutive episodes of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, two feuding sects representing Russia and the United States began stockpiling parts for bombs—at one point stripping the neighborhood’s arts funding to bankroll the build-up.

The Media Have Finally Figured Out How to Cover Trump’s Lies

Not just falsehood by falsehood, but as the defining feature of his presidency.

Donald Trump is not on the cover of Time this week, and that must gall him. The president is the subject of the magazine’s cover story, the promise of which apparently persuaded him to grant it an exclusive interview. But instead of Trump’s visage, the cover features a single three-word question in bold red type: “Is Truth Dead?”

It’s a callback to Time’s famous 1966 cover—“Is God Dead?”—and as such, it’s an eye-catcher. Time isn’t what it once was, but it still has a prominent perch on newsstands across the country. And this week, its top story highlights a side of Trump that much of the mainstream media have until recently failed, or neglected, to properly convey: his fundamental dishonesty.

Watch Trump Call Obamacare Repeal “So Easy”
“Nobody can do that like me.”

Conservative pundit: The only president with a worse 100 days than Trump is the one who died the first month…

Albert Sands and Josiah Johnson Hawes via Wikimedia Commons

“Yeah, so far the only president who had a worse 100 first days would be William Henry Harrison who didn’t last past 30 days,” Sykes quipped to laughter from the panel…(He died of complications from pneumonia 31 days into his term)

On MSNBC Sunday morning a conservative radio host took multiple shots at President Donald Trump’s faltering relationship with his own party, saying the first two months of his administration have been a disaster.

Appearing on AM Joy, commentator Charlie Sykes was asked by fill-in host Jonathan Capehart how things are going for Trump within his own party.

“Does it make much sense for the president to wage this all-out war, all-out battle on fellow Republicans, moderates and conservatives,” Capehart asked. “What have you, what’s he’s got, what is this, day 65? He’s got three and a half more years?”

Sometimes the SWAMP drains you…

Donald Trump promised to be a different kind of president. He was a populist fighting on behalf of the “forgotten man,” taking on the GOP establishment, draining the Washington swamp, protecting Medicaid from cuts, vowing to cover everyone with health care and make the government pay for it. He was a pragmatic businessman who was going to make Washington work for you, the little guy, not the ideologues and special interests.

Instead, Trump has become a pitchman for Paul Ryan and his agenda. He’s spent the past week fighting for a health care bill he didn’t campaign on, didn’t draft, doesn’t understand, doesn’t like to talk about, and can’t defend. Rather than forcing the Republican establishment to come around to his principles, he’s come around to theirs — with disastrous results.

The Republican Model for America? God help us everyone…

Sam Brownback urges Donald Trump to replicate his Kansas disaster on a national scale

America’s least-liked governor hopes Trump will mimic the tax and spending cuts that has led to fiscal meltdown…

When recently asked what was the matter with Kansas, Republican Gov. Sam Brownback ignored the steaming pile of economic wreckage that his supply-side experiment has caused in the state, and suggested that President-elect Donald Trump should take the Kansas model nationwide.

What’s the matter with Kansas? Republicans.

You have to feel some sympathy for the people of Kansas. They are so screwed. Their leaders created the perfect Republican state, one in which they provided tax breaks for the wealthy and repealed taxes for 100,000 businesses.

They tightened welfare requirements, privatized the delivery of Medicaid, cut $200 million from the education budget, eliminated four state agencies and 2,000 government employees.

after signing the largest tax cut in Kansas history, Brownback told the Wall Street Journal, “My focus is to create a red-state model that allows the Republican ticket to say, ‘See, we’ve got a different way, and it works.’ “

Indeed. The problem is that it has worked very badly. Last month, the state budget director announced that:

the new projections put Kansas nearly a quarter of a billion dollars short over the next two years.

Former Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch issued a statement saying Yates had “displayed the fierce intellect, unshakable integrity and deep commitment to the rule of law” in standing up to Trump.

“Her courageous leadership embodies the highest traditions of the Department of Justice, whose first duty is always to the American people, and to the Constitution that protects our rights and safeguards our liberties,” said Lynch, echoing the comments of several Justice Department lawyers interviewed on condition of anonymity.